Latest news with #Polukhin
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Russian Paralympian stripped of 2014 Sochi medals for doping breach
Russian Paralympian Nikolay Polukhin has been stripped of the medals he won at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi for violating anti-doping rules, The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said Thursday. The IPC's Independent Anti-Doping Tribunal found that the cross country and biathlon athlete provided urine samples that had been tampered with. As a result, Polukhin, now aged 42, has been stripped of a gold and two silver medals. The IPC said investigations were carried out following World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) evidence provided over state-sponsored doping in Russian sport between at least 2012 and 2015. "During that time period, the Moscow and Sochi laboratories utilised a 'Disappearing Positive Methodology' to conceal presumptive adverse analytical findings and, at the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, swapped out 'dirty' urine samples for 'clean' urine obtained from athletes for that purpose," the IPC said in a statement. Polukhin admitted using the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) out-of-competition in February 2014, which was permitted at that time, but denied knowledge of or participation in any sample swapping. However, DNA analysis in 2018 confirmed that the urine swapped into the bottle was a match for the athlete. "In the athlete's case, forensic analysis of the sample bottle showed scratches and marks and a urine residue tooth mark that could only have been caused by someone closing, then re-opening, then reclosing the sample bottle," the IPC said. Jude Ellis, the IPC's Head of Anti-Doping, said: "Nikolay Polukhin's case met the evidential threshold to charge the athlete with an anti-doping rule violation. "The resolution of this case draws a line under what has been a long running process into potential anti-doping rule violations by Russian athletes at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games." ea/nf
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Russian Paralympian stripped of medals 11 years after doping violation
Russian Paralympian Nikolay Polukhin has been stripped of medals for violating anti-doping rules - 11 years after he won them at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) independent anti-doping tribunal found Para-biathlon athlete Polukhin provided urine samples that had been tampered with during the Games, an event overshadowed by Russian state-sponsored evidence showed that Polukhin provided 'clean' urine during the Games that could be 'swapped' with samples that would have tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ).TMZ is a medication that increases blood flow to the heart and stimulates the metabolism of glucose, which can improve analysis of the sample bottle showed "scratches and marks and a urine residue tooth mark that could only have been caused by someone closing, then re-opening, then reclosing the sample bottle."The tribunal said that analysis of the urine conducted in 2018 demonstrated that the composition of the urine had changed since the 2014 analysis by the Sochi now 42, will forfeit his gold medal from the Men's Para-biathlon 15km Visually Impaired competition and silvers from the same event at 7.5km and 12.5km tribunal found that the athlete's conduct during the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games was "particularly egregious" and "significantly undermined the integrity of the event".It said that Polukhin did not provide "any logical or plausible explanation" for the evidence of sample swapping with his filed an appeal against the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but this was withdrawn earlier this month after he failed to pay the advance of tribunal made its decision on 25 September, 2024, but under rules could not disclose the decision until the completion of the appeals IPC's head of anti-doping Jude Ellis said: "The resolution of this case draws a line under what has been a long-running process into potential anti-doping rule violations by Russian athletes at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games."The IPC confirmed to BBC Sport that there are no further investigations relating to Sochi 2014. What's the background on Russian doping? The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) provided evidence relating to state-sponsored doping programme in Russian sport between 2012 and that period the Moscow and Sochi laboratories swapped out 'dirty' urine samples for 'clean' ones to conceal presumptive adverse analytical athletes were banned from competing under their flag between 2015 and 2018, before Wada imposed a further four-year ban in 2019. The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the suspension to two years, meaning Russian athletes had to compete under a 'neutral' flag until 16 December has been banned from competing at sporting events since the invasion of Ukraine in February is one of two athletes found to have violated anti-doping rules at Sochi 2014. The other was Italian Para ice hockey player Igor Stella, whose case was announced during the case will be passed to the International Ski and Snowboarding Federation and the International Biathlon Union to determine if any further action is required.
